Running through the Lavender Fields
by y-in-flame
Summary: As the day gets darker, the sound of laughter can be heard echoing over the hillside. It's a beautiful night for romance.


Huge lines of lavender stretched as far as the eye could see. The sound of laughter floated over the field. If one looked closely, they would see the long haired girl as she ran through the lines, every now and then cutting through to land in the next one, always running. She glanced behind her, with a grin on her face, to see if she was being pursued. Suddenly she turned and was caught.

"N-Naruto! Let me go!"

"NEVER!"

They both started laughing as Hinata broke free and ran away again. She came to a solitary tree in the middle of the lavender plantation and was tackled to the ground. Giggling, she rolled over to see Naruto's sky blue eyes peering down into her own.

"Hinata! When will you learn that no matter how far you run, I will always catch you?"

She giggled more as she sat up.

"I'll learn that l-lesson, Naruto, when you catch me for good."

And she was off again, running towards the farmstead which was Naruto's home. She made it up the steps and through the door before Naruto could catch her. She closed the screen door just as he reached the verandah, turning and grinning through the mesh.

"I-I win."

He pouted slightly.

"That's not fair, Hinata."

A voice came from behind Hinata and they both turned to see Naruto's mother setting the table.

"I believe Hinata won that one, Naruto. I think you might have to face that she is getting a lot faster."

"Who is?"

They all turned to see Minato enter the room through another doorway. Kushina turned and smiled.

"I was just telling Naruto that Hinata is getting faster than him. She beat him inside with time to spare."

Minato looked over to the door where Hinata was steadily keeping Naruto on the outside. He walked over and 'tsked' Naruto.

"Son, how many times do I have to tell you? Losing is not an option!"

Naruto hung his head slightly.

"I know, dad. But I can't help it if Hinata is getting more exercise than me!"

Minato smiled at Hinata, making her smile back shyly.

"Are you staying for dinner, Hinata?"

"I-if it's alright with Kushina, sir."

The older blond turned to look at his redheaded wife, who nodded with a grin on her face.

"You know you can stay any time here, Hinata. How's your mother?"

Hinata nodded, walking away from the door, letting Naruto in.

"She's getting better. F-father has forced her to stay outside most of the day, so she can breathe the fresh air instead of the air inside the house. H-her argument is that all air is fresh air, somebody else has just breathed it in."

Kushina laughed.

"Did they find out why she was getting sick?"

Hinata laughed.

"Y-you could almost say it was polish poisoning. She didn't stop polishing the silver and inhaled too many of the fumes. It made her sick and now father has banned her from polishing anything. He says that she's addicted to it."

Kushina laughed again.

"That makes sense, I guess. Minato?"

Her husband turned from talking with Naruto to look at her with a questioning look on his face.

"Remind me to take some food around to Hinata's mother, she might need it."

Hinata put her hands up.

"I-I don't think- I mean, if it's no trouble."

Kushina smiled again.

"Don't worry, Hinata. It's fine. Although..."

She turned to her two 'boys' who had their heads together, Naruto nodding every few seconds with a determined look on his face, listening to what his father was telling him.

Kushina pointed to them, leaning down to whisper to Hinata.

"I might have to make your mother's food when they're outside, otherwise I won't have anything to cook with. They eat it all."

The two blonds in question looked up when Kushina and Hinata burst out laughing.

"What?"

Kushina regained her composure quicker than Hinata and cleared her throat at their question.

"Absolutely nothing."

She turned and moved back into the kitchen, Minato hot on her heels. Naruto quickly stalked closer to Hinata, capturing her in a bear hug as her laughter was reduced to giggles.

"What was so funny, Hinata?"

She decided to follow Kushina's lead and pulled away from him, clearing her throat.

"A-absolutely nothing."

Before he had a chance to react, she was out the door, running through the lavender fields again, laughing her head off. As Naruto gave pursuit, Kushina and Minato moved to the doorway, watching them in the growing darkness. Kushina sighed and leaned her head back on Minato's shoulder.

"You can tell they're in love, can't you?"

Minato nodded as he put his arms around his wife, pulling her closer to him.

"Mmmmm. They're only sixteen, 'Shina. Give them a bit of time. It might just be puppy love on Naruto's behalf."

Kushina shook her head.

"This isn't like that little thing he had for Sakura Haruno. This seems real. He wouldn't keep chasing Hinata through the fields if he didn't at least like her."

Minato chuckled.

"Is that because I used to chase you through the lavender fields?"

Kushina blushed slightly, grateful her husband couldn't see the colour. She nodded after a few seconds.

"We ended up together, didn't we? I remember it clearly."

Minato hummed again.

"Yes. A night like this. The stars were beautiful that night."

She nodded again.

"The lavender was especially fragrant, too."

Together they breathed deeply. Minato heaved a contented sigh.

"Ahh. I love you Kushina."

She turned in his arms and hugged him close.

"I love you too, Minato."

He turned them slightly and together they watched as it grew darker and the stars came out.

Hinata breathed deeply as she slowed her pace to a walk. Glancing around, she was on guard, waiting for Naruto to pop out from anywhere. She didn't know how he did it, but he always seemed to appear wherever she was, no matter where she had last left him. As she came to a large lavender bush, she put her hand on it and looked up at the sky. She sighed and felt the soft flowers between her fingers as she felt warm arms encircle her from behind. Turning, she saw Naruto's grin and smiled.

"I've got you now."

She giggled, turning in his embrace.

"S-sure seems that way."

"Are you going to run again?"

She grinned.

"I'm thinking about it."

His grip tightened.

"Just try it."

Hinata moved away a fraction, but his arms were like stone. Quickly hatching a plan to get him off guard, she stood up on tiptoe and pecked him on the lips. Succeeding in her objective, she broke away and raced towards the lonely tree on the hill. She made it without further hindrance from her blond haired companion and turned to stare at the sky.

The stars were out and they were stunning. Sitting down on the hill, she wrapped her arms around her knees as a shooting star burned across the sky. It was only after she had finished scrunching her eyes up and making her wish, that she realised she wasn't alone. Leaning her head on his shoulder, he put his arm around her and together, they stared up at the sky.

"N-Naruto?"

"Yes?"

"I love this."

"Yeah?"

"Y-yeah."

"I love it too."

Silence engulfed them as the moon rose, its pale light shining across the fields, turning a once beautiful field on the daytime to a paler, ghostly version of its former beauty. Hinata gasped and she looked up at Naruto to see him smiling down at her.

"Hinata?"

"Y-yes?"

"I love you."

There was a heartbeat's silence, then Hinata answered.

"Y-yeah?"

"Yeah."

"I love you too."


End file.
